Safety and Efficacy of Carvedilol Therapy for Patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy Secondary to Muscular Dystrophy

Background By the age of 20 years, almost all patients with Duchenne’s or Becker’s muscular dystrophy have experienced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a condition that contributes significantly to their morbidity and mortality. Although studies have shown carvedilol to be an effective therapy for pati...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric cardiology 2008-03, Vol.29 (2), p.343-351
Main Authors: Rhodes, J., Margossian, R., Darras, B. T., Colan, S. D., Jenkins, K. J., Geva, T., Powell, A. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - administration & dosage
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - therapeutic use
Adult
Carbazoles - administration & dosage
Carbazoles - therapeutic use
Cardiac Surgery
Cardiology
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - drug therapy
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - etiology
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - physiopathology
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed
Electrocardiography, Ambulatory
Follow-Up Studies
Heart Ventricles - diagnostic imaging
Heart Ventricles - pathology
Heart Ventricles - physiopathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Muscular Dystrophies - complications
Muscular Dystrophies - diagnosis
Muscular Dystrophies - drug therapy
Myocardial Contraction - drug effects
Myocardial Contraction - physiology
Original
Propanolamines - administration & dosage
Propanolamines - therapeutic use
Prospective Studies
Severity of Illness Index
Stroke Volume - drug effects
Surveys and Questionnaires
Treatment Outcome
Vascular Surgery
Ventricular Function, Left - drug effects
Ventricular Function, Left - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background By the age of 20 years, almost all patients with Duchenne’s or Becker’s muscular dystrophy have experienced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a condition that contributes significantly to their morbidity and mortality. Although studies have shown carvedilol to be an effective therapy for patients with other forms of DCM, few data exist concerning its safety and efficacy for patients with muscular dystrophy. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of carvedilol for patients with DCM. Methods A clinical trial at an outpatient clinic investigated 22 muscular dystrophy patients, ages 14 to 46 years, with DCM and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 50%. Carvedilol up-titrated over 8 weeks then was administered at the maximum or highest tolerated dose for 6 months. Baseline and posttreatment cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), echocardiography, and Holter monitoring were recorded. Results Carvedilol therapy was associated with a modest but statistically significant improvement in CMR-derived ejection fraction (41% ± 8.3% to 43% ± 8%; p  
ISSN:0172-0643
1432-1971
DOI:10.1007/s00246-007-9113-z